Xapo vs Exa Card

Exa Card costs less across the spending levels we test. The full fee, reward, availability and safety comparison is below.

Verdict

  • Exa Card leaves more money in your pocket at all three spending levels we test: $978.40 a year more at $500 a month, $924.40 a year more at $2,000 a month, $816.40 a year more at $5,000 a month.
  • Xapo is a custodial card, so the provider holds your balance. Exa Card is self-custody.
  • On our safety check, Xapo scores 69/100 (Good) and Exa Card scores 75/100 (Good).
  • Overall, Exa Card rates 54/100 against 21/100 for Xapo, helped by its reach: it is offered in 46 countries and territories against an unpublished number for Xapo.

Net value per year at $2,000 a month (20% foreign spend, one $200 ATM withdrawal a month)

  • Xapo · Membership-$1,024
  • Exa Card · Standard-$99.60
Crypto card comparison
FeatureXapoExa Card
Countries offeredList not published46 countries
Card networkVisaVisa
CustodyCustodialSelf-custody
KYCFullFull
Top-up assetsUSD, BTC, USDC, USDTUSDC, ETH, WBTC, wstETH, OP
Top-up or conversion fee0%0%
FX markup0% (better)1.5%
ATM fee2% after $100 free a monthNo ATM access (virtual card only)
Annual fee (base tier)$1,000Free (better)
Card issuanceVirtual Free · Physical FreeVirtual Free · Physical Not disclosed
CashbackNoneNone
Apple Pay / Google PayNot listedApple Pay, Google Pay
Safety score69/10075/100 (better)
Overall rating21/10054/100 (better)
Get the cardGet XapoGet Exa Card

Yearly cost at three spending levels

Monthly spendXapoExa Card
$500-$1,024
Membership
-$45.60
Standard
$2,000-$1,024
Membership
-$99.60
Standard
$5,000-$1,024
Membership
-$207.60
Standard

Net value per year: cashback minus conversion, FX, ATM and fixed fees. US dollars, 20% foreign spending, one $200 ATM withdrawal a month. The card cost calculator runs the same comparison with your own habits.

Where the money goes at $2,000 a month

LineXapo
Membership
Exa Card
Standard
Top-up and conversion fees$0$0
Spending fees$0$0
Foreign exchange markup$0-$72
ATM fees-$24-$27.60
Annual, monthly and subscription fees-$1,000$0
Cashback$0$0
Net per year-$1,024-$99.60

Fees

Xapo charges 0% to convert or top up and 0% on spending in a foreign currency. Exa Card charges 0% and 1.5%.

ATM withdrawals: Xapo 2% after $100 free a month; Exa Card no atm access (virtual card only).

A virtual card costs nothing with Xapo and nothing with Exa Card. A physical card costs nothing and an undisclosed fee.

Cashback and rewards

Xapo cashback: None. Exa Card cashback: None.

Xapo tiers: Membership: 0%.

Exa Card tiers: Standard: 0%.

Xapo: Xapo pays cashback in Bitcoin only through limited-time offers, such as 3% on rideshares with the Metal card from 1 July to 30 September 2026. The membership also includes interest on USD savings, paid in Bitcoin.

Exa Card: The Exa Card has no cashback program. Visa Signature benefits apply instead (purchase protection, car rental cover, Visa Airport Companion with pay-per-use lounges, concierge). Idle balances earn a variable yield in Exactly Protocol. Pay Later splits purchases into up to 8 fixed-rate installments paid in USDC, and the interest rate is set at purchase.

Availability and KYC

Xapo does not publish a country list. Xapo Bank does not publish a list of countries where membership is open.

Exa Card is offered in 46 countries, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, United Arab Emirates and United States. US residents only in 31 listed states (not, for example, Georgia, Ohio, Washington or Oregon). No EU, EEA or UK countries are eligible. Nigeria is left out because the eligibility page says it "requires conditional approval" while the prohibited-countries list (15 January 2026) bans it. Exa's own help center also claims the card is "available in 180+ countries", which the published list does not support. In the US the card is also offered through Uphold.

Xapo needs full KYC and Exa Card needs full KYC.

The card finder checks both cards against your country, KYC level and must-have features.

Limits, wallets and card types

Xapo does not publish fixed spending or ATM limits.

Exa Card publishes ATM withdrawals of up to $1,000 a day.

Xapo does not list Apple Pay or Google Pay support, and Exa Card works with Apple Pay and Google Pay. Xapo and Exa Card issue a virtual card you can use straight away.

Custody and safety

Xapo scores 69/100. Licensing: holds a licence or registration outside the tier-one list (Credit institution regulated by the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission (Permission No. 23171); crypto services by Xapo VASP Limited, a GFSC-regulated DLT Provider (Permission No. 26061)). No incidents or enforcement actions found in the last 36 months. Xapo says Bitcoin is held 1:1 and legally segregated under Gibraltar's DLT framework, never lent or rehypothecated. USD deposits are covered by the Gibraltar Deposit Guarantee Scheme; crypto balances are not.

Exa Card scores 75/100. Licensing: holds a licence or registration outside the tier-one list (Card issued by Nimbus LLC dba Third National, licensed as a Money Transmitter by the Commissioner of Financial Institutions of Puerto Rico (licence TM-0207, NMLS 2612780). Exa Labs S.A.S. is the program manager and says it "does not issue or manage payment instruments"; its help center gives Rain's legal address as the card's billing address.). The card is issued through Nimbus LLC dba Third National. 2023-08-18: Exactly Protocol, which runs the card's credit and yield, was exploited through its DebtManager contract on Optimism. 117 accounts lost a combined $7,612,038 and the protocol was paused. Exa Labs S.A.S. is a Uruguayan company. The card is legally a credit card with no set credit line, and the issuer's terms say it has no relationship with Exactly Protocol. Your wallet is a passkey-secured smart contract account on OP Mainnet with no seed phrase. In Pay Later mode each purchase is a loan against your deposited crypto, which can be liquidated if its value falls. The 2023 exploit hit the protocol's leverage feature, not the card, which launched later. No regulator warning or enforcement action against Exa Labs or Exactly Protocol was found.

Full reports: Xapo safety check and Exa Card safety check.

About each card

Xapo Bank Card is a custodial Visa card from Xapo Bank Limited (Gibraltar). It tops up with USD, BTC, USDC and USDT.

Exa Card (Exactly) is a self-custody Visa card from Exa Labs S.A.S. (Exa Card program). It tops up with USDC, ETH, WBTC, wstETH and OP.

Which card fits you

Xapo fits if

  • You spend in foreign currencies often, since its FX markup is lower.

Exa Card fits if

  • You want to keep crypto in your own wallet until each payment.
  • You weigh licensing and fund segregation heavily, since it scores higher on our safety check.

Read more: Xapo fees and details · Exa Card fees and details

Xapo vs Exa Card: questions

Which is cheaper, Xapo or Exa Card?
At $2,000 a month with 20% foreign spending and one $200 ATM withdrawal, Exa Card leaves $924.40 more per year. The result can change with your spending, so the comparison above lets you enter your own amount.
Can I use Xapo and Exa Card in the same country?
One of the two issuers does not publish a country list, so we cannot confirm overlap. Country list not published for Xapo; 46 countries for Exa Card.
Is Xapo or Exa Card safer?
Exa Card scores higher on our safety check (75/100 against 69/100). The score looks at licensing, custody, fund segregation, proof of reserves and incident history.
Which card has better cashback, Xapo or Exa Card?
Xapo pays none and Exa Card pays none. Caps, tier rules and fees decide what you keep, which is why the yearly figures above include both.

Sources

  1. Xapo Bank Card: fees · checked September 24, 2026
  2. Xapo Bank Card: availability · checked September 24, 2026
  3. Xapo Bank Card: cashback · checked September 24, 2026
  4. Xapo Bank Card: safety · checked September 24, 2026
  5. Exa Card (Exactly): fees · checked September 28, 2026
  6. Exa Card (Exactly): availability · checked September 28, 2026
  7. Exa Card (Exactly): cashback · checked September 28, 2026
  8. Exa Card (Exactly): safety · checked September 28, 2026